Distant Voices
by FutureTrunksFan94
Summary: Detective and thief. Two contradictory people in differing positions in life. However, Kuroba Kaito and Shinichi Kudo are cousins-and when the detective discovers that his cousin is the elusive thief known as KID-he winds up dragging the detective into the very darkness he's been seeking in the first place. Rewrite of TNK. Shin/Ran Kai/Ao pairings, platonic kaishin. Art by Eliorni.
1. Chapter 1 Kaito and Shinichi

**A/N:Okay, yes, I realize it has been two years since I even touched Tooi no Koe. I am rewriting it completely as it is a product of its age. So let me bring you the newer version of this story. I am mostly writing for my fans who are into DC, as I myself am not really into Conan anymore. The fandoms that have my interest currently would be Earthbound, Undertale, Higurashi and Magi. :d But hey, old habits die hard. So yeah, the pairing is Kaishin, but they're platonic as they're cousins and incest is wrong. So, I figured this story deserved a decent rewrite.**

 **I am not expecting this to be updated constantly-expect an update whenever I have the muse strike me. Special thanks to the user killuanatsume for always believing in this story. Anyhow, in some universe somewhere, Shinichi never became Conan. This is one of those universes.**

 **"Cousins are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer. – Ed Cunningham** **"**

 **Chapter One: The Meitantei and the Thief**

* * *

The hot summer sun beat down hard on the inhabitants of Tokyo, bathing them in its heat. However, by no means did that stop the children and youth of Tokyo from enjoying themselves-plenty of them were out and about on this hot July day, going to amusement parks, playing on playgrounds, laughing and talking-just being children.

Many children were enjoying themselves at a playground where their parents watched-like a flock of eagles, ever watchful of the occasional pervert or kidnapper who might attempt to abduct a child from their very noses.

As the innocent children laughed and played, there were two in particular who attracted the most attention from the other kids-particularly by how unusual they were acting for their age.

The first was a young boy who appeared to be around eight or so years old, swinging his legs up and down on the bench he was seated on, ignoring everyone else entirely. His face was buried in an enormous tome, already halfway through the text, it seemed, by the way his cobalt orbs were scanning every word voraciously.

"How exciting," He whispered to himself, "How will Holmes solve this case?"

The other kids his age did not bother to come near.

"Why don't you stop reading your dumb books and come play with us, Kudo?" They cried.

"Kudo" did not answer them, the child merely turned his attention back to his book.

Kudo, or Shinichi Kudo, was a quiet and introverted child who preferred reading or being by himself and acting out cases his father had solved rather than playing with other children his own age. His hair was brown and stuck up in an unusual cowlick at the top of his head.

"Tch, I don't need to play with you guys," Shinichi grumbled, "Just leave me alone."

"Kudo thinks he's too good to play with the rest of us!" A little girl huffed, throwing sand at the young boy from the sandbox she was playing in.

"Hey, you're gonna ruin this book!" Shinichi yelped, throwing his arms up as if to shield the book, but in the process he fell to the ground, causing the other children to laugh.

"You're such a spoiled brat! You oughta stop reading those dumb books. Kudo is such a nerd." A boy taunted, picking up Shinichi's book and tossing it to his other cohorts.

"Give it back!" Shinichi cried, his face red with anger and embarrassment.

"What are you gonna do? Arrest us?" They taunted.

Shinichi paused for a second, and then smirked. "I'm gonna punt you."

"Huh?"

The boy only had a second to react before a soccer ball was sent flying right at his face and gave him a bloody nose.

"Thanks, itoko!" He called out at a second figure, who'd appeared right in front of the other children, grinning dangerously at them, his violet eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Oh no, it's Kuroba!" The children shrieked.

"Sorry won't save you. You bullied my cousin. Suffer the consequences of Kuroba Kaito's newest magic trick!"

In a second, several of the kids were now buried in sand and confetti.

When they shook their heads, they screamed upon seeing that their hair was now a different color than it should be.

"Don't touch Shinichi again! Are you all right, Shinichi?" Kaito said, coming over to his cousin, who was looking more than a little annoyed that he couldn't have chased off his tormenters himself.

"I could've handled that myself, Kaito," He grumbled.

Kaito threw a piece of confetti at his face. "I don't like bullies."

"Doesn't mean I couldn't have solved it myself."

Kaito reached behind him and then in a flash, revealed that he'd been holding Shinichi's book this whole time. "Want it back? Then you need to thank me, the great Kuroba Kaito, for saving your butt!"

"Kaito-"

"I'm joking! Here it is!" He said, handing it to Shinichi, who frowned.

"They got a lot of sand on it." He complained. "Tousan's gonna kill me for getting it dirty."

"I think they already know," Kaito said, chuckling and pointing with his finger over at where the other children were being scolded by a particularly angry Kuroba Chikage and Yukiko Kudo.

"Kaasan is terrifying when she's angry," Shinichi muttered with a shudder, as now his mother was approaching, smiling blissfully.

"Girls are scary. Except for Bakoko and that friend of yours-Ran." Kaito muttered.

"Hey, Kaito, let's make a promise. Promise you'll come visit me more often?"

"Promise you'll become a great detective? A meitantei? Sure, once my father performs his latest tour. We'll be in town again soon." Kaito said as the two of them shook hands and laughed.

Kaito's father approached the both of them, and patted their heads.

"Son, you did a good thing there. But promise me you won't go dying their hair anymore."

"Aw, it was fun!" Kaito pouted.

"Magic is not to be used as a tool to harass."

"I was protecting my cousin!" Kaito complained.

"As a punishment, you'll be having some sushi for dinner tonight after the show. Both of you will be coming along."

Shinichi and Kaito grinned at each other as they sat in the auditorium, watching their favorite relative step out on the stage.

"Isn't Tousan the coolest?" Kaito chirped, watching his father with starry eyes.

"He sure is cool!" Shinichi remarked, watching as the man bowed to his audience and performed his latest trick.

It happened slowly.

No one really noticed the smoke until it was too late.

"There's a fire! Everyone to the exits!"

"What about Tousan?" Kaito screamed, as their parents led them away.

"I don't know where he is!" Shinichi said.

One second, Uncle Toiichi had been up on the stage, the next he was gone.

Just like that.

The two young boys later heard that Uncle Toiichi had gone to heaven because of an accident that occurred onstage.

"We're going to have to move," Chikage said, "Shinichi-kun, please try and understand."

Shinichi was bawling. "I don't want to leave Kaito!"

"I don't want to leave you, either!" Kaito whined.

Shinichi cried until he couldn't see his cousin's face anymore when the car sped away.

* * *

Kaito sat at his desk, bored.

"No pranks today, Bakaito?" Aoko said sarcastically, plopping down beside him, as he read over his alter ego's latest exploits as Kaitou Kid.

"I'm bored," He muttered, "Without Saguru here, I have no one to torment."

"Maybe you can actually do your schoolwork for once." Aoko huffed, looking away from him.

"School work is boring, have you seen what KID did today?" Kaito said excitedly.

Instantly, the rest of their class started talking in hushed whispers, as the teacher had come in to begin class.

Saguru walked in late and looking pleased with himself, an instant danger sign.

"I believe your days are numbered, Kuroba." He said, smugly.

"Why? Did you develop a brain recently and a sense of humor?" Kaito said, jumping out of his chair and throwing one of his tricks at him.

"No, there's a detective who can put your idol behind bars." Saguru picked up his newspaper and flipped through the pages to where a picture of a teenage boy was, smiling for the camera.

"Who might that be?" Kaito asked, not having gotten a good enough look at the photo yet.

"Why, the genius detective of Beika, Kudo Shinichi!" Hakuba pronounced it slowly, as though Kaito were stupid.

Kaito's face went pale. "Pardon?" He muttered.

"Surely you've heard of Shinichi Kudo, the detective." Hakuba said tauntingly, apparently thinking he'd use this as blackmail material. "He's not as good a detective as me, but if he catches KID, you're never gonna be happy, Kuroba."

"I don't have to worry about that, Saguru. KID can never get caught!" He said smugly. 'And besides, everyone knows Shinichi hates magic. He'd never come to a Kaitou Kid heist.'

"Don't you know how good this guy is?" Saguru said.

"Of course I do. He's my _cousin_ ~," He purred.

Saguru dropped the newspaper, unable to believe that a detective and a thief could be related.

 _"WHAT?_ " He cried.

"Saguru-san, take your seat!" The teacher commanded.

Saguru didn't speak another word for the rest of the class, apparently traumatized over the knowledge that his idol was related to the Kaitou Kid himself.

"That kid's your cousin?" Aoko asked Kaito.

"Remember when we were younger, I brought up Kudo a lot? That's him. The guy's pretty smart, and a nerd. But he's my cousin and we were close." He remarked, his eyes softening. 'So you did fulfill your dream after all, Shinichi.'

"I hope you get to see him again," Aoko said sincerely.

"He's a genius. I wonder how he's doing."

'Shinichi...'

* * *

Elsewhere, a certain tantei sneezed loudly.

"You catching a cold, Shinichi?" Ran Mouri asked, looking at her best friend in interest.

He wiped his nose. "No, I think someone was talking about me. I wonder if it was Kaito."

"It'd be nice if we could see him again," Ran remarked, "He seems pretty busy these days."

"Yeah," Shinichi remarked.

'Kaito...how are you doing? Is it even possible that we could meet again?'

'Shinichi...you won't arrest me for being a thief, right? You probably wouldn't approve of this path I've gone down.'


	2. Chapter 2 Detective and Thief

A/N:I'm gonna reread TNK completely, so I can get everything accurate. I look forward to having Shinichi working with "The Nightmare Inspector" again. Also, there is no Conan in this, sorry, this is an AU work of its own, however, he does mention having dreams of an alternate reality (the canon work) where that happens. Oh, and the murderer subplot is gonna be either revised or cut, as I had no idea where to take it. I will try to work murder cases into it, however my OCs suck, so if anyone can give me something to work with, that would be helpful. Mysteries, fight scenes, and romance are my weakest point.

Anyhow, thanks for the review, Akrim! This story is dedicated to my friend KilluaNatsume!

Rewriting the second chapter of TNK. Idk if I'll completely stick to the original story or if I'll go to the new idea completely.

Chapter Two Kaitou Kid's Challenge

* * *

A certain meitantei was fast asleep in his classroom at school, much to a certain brunette's dismay.

"Shinichi, wake up!" She cried, shaking him.

The brunette did not respond. He was still in his world of dreams.

"Did he fall asleep again?" Sonoko Suzuki asked her best friend, Ran, who nodded.

"He must have had a hard case last night or something. He stays up all night on those things." Ran muttered.

"I wonder what made him want to start solving cases in the first place. That's all boring stuff to me." Sonoko sighed, putting her head in her hands and looking at the slumbering meitantei.

"Sonoko-chan, Shinichi _likes_ doing it, so maybe you should support him. I don't understand why you dislike him so much." Ran remarked.

Sonoko's face flushed. "I-It's not like I dislike him or anything, I just think that maybe...maybe, he should get his head out of his cases and pay attention to a girl who likes him!"

"Excuse me, girls, but _why_ are we chatting like this in class?" The music teacher said sharply, rapping their desks.

Both girls flinched.

"Sorry, Sensei, we'll get back to work! It's just that Shinichi fell asleep." Ran muttered.

The teacher sighed. "I know Kudo-kun is a detective and all, but his schoolwork matters, too. Doesn't he take care of his health?"

"He's cute sleeping like that," Another girl said.

"Very well, then, Mouri-san, please awaken Kudo-kun. He cannot have a failing mark in this class any longer, it will not look good for his career." The teacher said, sighing.

Having a celebrity for a student was troubling. The boy wasn't arrogant and full of himself, he was just so self-absorbed in his own things that he couldn't really pay attention to anything else. It sort of troubled her, but she supposed since he was a genius and all, he probably could handle himself.

"Make sure he awakens soon, Mouri-san." She reminded Ran, who had fallen back into conversation with the chatterbox Sonoko and some Shinichi Kudo fangirls, who'd whispered about how cute the detective was.

'Shinichi...wake up.' Ran thought worriedly, shaking her best friend.

Meanwhile, Shinichi was dreaming about the past.

* * *

 _"Ne, Shinichi, when we're grown-ups, are you gonna attend my magic shows?" A nine year old Kaito Kuroba asked his cousin, Kudo Shinichi, who frowned slightly at the question._

 _His cousin put his hands over his chin as if in thought._

 _Kaito knew he was mimicking how Sherlock Holmes acted on those old British movies Shinichi would sometimes watch on television, sometimes his cousin would make him watch those boring old dramas. Kaito would much rather watch a magic show on television._

 _"Etou...probably! As long as I'm not too busy solving murders and catching criminals!" Shinichi exclaimed, laughing slightly as well._

 _"Bakanichi, you know you'll never be a real-life detective." Kaito mocked lightly. Of course, he respected his cousin's dreams, he just knew the harsh reality of the world around him more than the introverted bookworm did. Shinichi was too kind and naive. He believed in people even when they let him down._

 _He never wanted Shinichi to see him like that._

 _"I will so be a famous detective!" Shinichi yelped, scrambling off his chair._

 _"Will not!" Kaito jeered._

 _"Will too!" Shinichi cried. "I'll be much cooler than you, and I'll have a cool car and lots of fan girls! No one will even know of your existence, Bakaito!"_

 _That nickname originated with Shinichi and Aoko picked it up from being around him a couple of times. Not that she really remembered him, of course, as Shinichi came to stay at odd intervals over the summer._

 _"The girls don't even like you in school. They think you're a nerd." Kaito replied cheerfully before popping out some flowers and twirling them around like a baton. He held them near Shinichi's face and sprayed him with water. The young boy blinked for a few moments, and then he glared at his cousin before attempting to lunge at him._

 _"You barou, knock it off!" Shinichi cried as he dove at his cousin, who dodged_.

 _"You'll have to try and catch me first." Kaito taunted._

* * *

"Shinichi! Shinichi!"

"Huh?"

Blue eyes flew open as the detective yawned and stretched, shooting up in his chair-in time to see that Ran was glaring at him.

"Did I fall asleep again?" He muttered.

The annoyed look Ran shot him was enough to prove his point.

He probably shouldn't have been asleep, but a tough case Megure-Keibu had sent him had kept him up until around three in the morning last night. He had managed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, but he had dozed off halfway through, woke up and then tried again.

Ran sent a cross look his way.

She was sitting a few seats away from where he was, so she could be very annoying in this class. Shinichi rolled his eyes and propped his head up on the desk with his right hand in order to try and prevent himself from falling back asleep. The teacher, however, was less than pleased, judging by her cross expression.

It was in Shinichi's least favorite class of all, _music_ , that he had to fall asleep in. Though he enjoyed listening to music, Shinichi Kudou did have one weakness: he was tone-deaf.

He could not sing to save his life and even when he had tried as a kid, Kaito made fun of him and called him a crow.

Also, Shinichi could not really stand the fact that sometimes, the teacher forced them to sing out loud. That had been a constant staple in junior high and elementary, and he had always gotten a bad grade there.

The music teacher frowned at her less-than-average pupil. She knew he was a famous detective and a really good soccer player, he got lots of good grades in other subjects-in fact, he was more or less an overachiever-so why was he not good in this one?

She decided to ask him herself. "Kudou-kun, why must you fall asleep in my class? Is my class that dull to you?"

Shinichi yawned loudly, before scratching his head, "No, it was just due to something that kept me up all night long, Sensei."

One of the boys beside him chuckled. "I bet that isn't what she said-"

Shinichi silenced him with a cold glare. "Barou, it wasn't that at all!"

"Please calm down, Kudou-san." The teacher chided, staring at him as though he were a horrible, horrible, villain, even when he had only fallen asleep. How bad _was_ it to fall asleep in this class, anyway? He hated music, and the teacher, and the subject. Therefore, it was only natural that he would fall asleep, wasn't it?

He sighed melodramatically and half of the girls in the classroom stared at him and giggled slightly.

He winked at one sitting near him, and she blushed deeply before looking away. Shinichi sweat-dropped a little bit. The fans he had sometimes got out of hand. They would wait outside his classroom for him, ask for autographs, and sometimes even ask for help with cases. A few of them had proposed and sent him cookies, cakes, and other stuff before, but of course Shinichi returned all of it.

He only had one girl on his mind, and she was right there. He glanced over at Ran momentarily before turning his attention back to his boring schoolwork. 'Might as well attempt to do something while I'm here,' He thought, then his thoughts went back to the girls.

' _Am I a bit of a flirt or something? Heh...well, I am a famous detective, after all. It only makes sense that I'd have a bunch of fans. I wonder if Kaito knows about me being a detective...'_

His thoughts went back to his cousin, and he stared out the window, wondering inwardly what Kaito was doing and whether he still thought about him.

There was no denying that the two of them were separated from one another, in name, in lifestyle, and in personality, even.

The only things that really connected them were their looks, their feelings about people, their friendship, and the fact that they both were cousins related by blood, and they would always act alike no matter what they thought of it.

"Kaito..." He mumbled under his breath. He was glad that school was almost out.

Of course, at times like this, usually Megure-keibu would call him on his cell phone and request that he solve some sort of case, but there had been nothing like that so far-

* * *

Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrating.

Shinichi's eyes widened. _He couldn't_ let himself be caught with a cell phone. "Sensei? Can I use the restroom?"

He noticed Ran flash him a suspicious stare. It seemed that she knew he was lying.

She knew him pretty well, or well enough to know that he wouldn't tell lies unless it was absolutely necessary.

He stopped to consider that for a second. Would he ever lie to Ran for any reason at all? No, of course he wouldn't...though, sometimes he had strange feelings in the pit of his stomach...deja vu...

Sometimes, he would have dreams about another universe that was very similar to his own.

Something odd had happened to him in that universe.

He had been turned into a little kid and had apparently lived with Ran for a while and...it was such a bizarre dream...Kaito wasn't related to him at all, and there was a strange blond-haired girl there as well...he frowned as he tried to remember it before shrugging his shoulders and walking out of the classroom.

"No point in remembering weird dreams like that," Shinichi muttered.

He darted into the bathroom, thankful for the fact that there were no cameras in the boys' bathroom, went into a stall and closed the door.

He immediately answered the call.

"Hello?" He whispered, glancing around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. The less likely he was being watched or spied on by fan-girls, the better.

 _"Ah, Kudo-kun! I was just trying to reach you, but you wouldn't answer."_

Shinichi smiled upon hearing Megure-keibu's voice. Now this was something he actually liked today.

He would get a break from class thanks to someone dying. It was a very morbid thought and he knew that, but he was used to people dropping dead around him.

He smirked as he replied,"I'm in school right now, and I saw my phone vibrating, so I had to make an excuse and sneak to the bathroom where they don't have cameras. I don't want people overhearing, so that's why I'm whispering."

 _"Oh, I see! You are too smart for your own good, Kudo-kun! Sometimes you sound like a criminal in training! Anyway, we just found quite a grisly scene here in a restaurant. Two people have been murdered. A man and a woman have been poisoned, and then hacked to pieces. It's quite a gruesome scene. Some of my men aren't used to seeing such grim scenes. They're hiding right now, the little cowards."_

Shinichi snickered slightly.

He heard footsteps outside his stall, and froze.

"Is this stall taken?" A male voice asked.

"Yes..." Shinichi said.

"Fine, I'll use the other one. Don't flirt with your girlfriend in here, you idiot." The male voice scolded, before slamming another stall door shut with a loud bang. Shinichi winced visibly.

"Well, that was weird. Someone thought I was flirting with a girl here," Shinichi said. "So, when do you want me over?"

"As soon as possible, Kudo-kun, tell your teacher it's because of a case. They'll understand."

Shinichi sighed. "All right. I'll see you later, Megure-keibu."

* * *

Megure stared at the phone in his hands and sighed.

That young detective could be quite handy at times, but at the same time, he could be quite a handful.

Sometimes he wondered what exactly went on in that brilliant, intelligent mind of his. However, the boy was quite a valuable asset to solving the mysteries that seemed to baffle the police force. He was very used to him, however.

* * *

"He's just like his father," He muttered, remembering how Kudo Yusaku had skipped school to go solve cases, too. "A chip off the old block, huh?"

Kuroba Kaito yawned out loud in his school.

Aoko Nakamori, his childhood friend, and secret crush, glared at him. "Bakaito, why are you yawning in school? You're not supposed to stay up late! What were you doing last night, anyway?"

' _I was out doing my usual night job, stealing jewels as the thief KID, Bakoko. What else would I have been doing? Dying my hair a new color? Selling Kudou Shinichi fan posters? Not like my cousin would ever believe I would do that_ ,' Kaito thought before deciding to humor her with a half-truth.

"I was...busy preparing a new magic trick yesterday." Kaito stated.

"It took you...all night, to do it? Geez, Kaito, you really put _that_ much effort into making tricks?" Aoko scoffed skeptically. Obviously, she didn't buy his little lie. Well, he couldn't actually tell her the truth, could he?

Obviously, that would not be a good idea. The last thing he wanted to have happen was to cause Aoko to get mixed up in his business as Kaitou Kid. He wanted to protect her and not cause her harm in any possible way. Plus, her anti-KID nature would resurface and just that thought made Kaito shudder.

"By the way, Kaito, you seem awfully serious today. Is it because...of today's date?" Aoko asked.

Kaito nodded solemnly. "Yes...it's today... it's the anniversary of the day Shinichi and I parted from each other. It wasn't exactly in the best way, either."

 _"Please don't leave, Kaito!" Shinichi begged, clutching the nine-year old's arm desperately, as if trying to hold onto him forever. He didn't want to lose Kaito, too. He'd already lost his uncle, for God's sake._

 _"I don't want to leave, either. I have no choice." Kaito said, tears flowing down his face as he hugged Shinichi back._

 _"But, you can't-"_

 _Shinichi was cut off by his Aunt Chikage, who hugged him and smiled sadly before taking Kaito by the hand and walking away. "No, you can't leave, Kaito! You promised to stay by my side, itoko!"_

 _Kaito shot a sad glance in his direction. "I know, itoko...I know, but I'll always be with you."_

 _"How? You're never going to see me again!" Shinichi cried. "Please, don't go!"_

 _"I'm sorry," Kaito whispered, and then they were gone. He heard the sound of their car pull out of their driveway. Shinichi stood watching them go, tears coming down his face._

 _"Kaito!" He screamed. His mother held him as he sobbed._

Kaito smiled sadly. He hoped Shinichi had gotten over his departure.

Judging from Shinichi's expression on the article yesterday, it seemed like his cousin had fulfilled his dreams, after all.

Now, the question remained: would Shinichi ever come after him as Kaitou Kid?

A smirk crossed up his face. Nothing more interesting than the master meitantei taking on his own cousin, and not even knowing it.

* * *

"Who's KID, Ran?" Shinichi asked.

"KID is a famous Kaitou, or phantom thief! I can't believe you've never heard of him, Shinichi!" Ran exclaimed.

"A phantom thief, eh...?" Shinichi trailed off.

' _Why does that remind me of Kaito? Nah, Kaito would never do that stuff_ ,' He whispered to himself.


	3. Chapter 3 The Nightmare Inspector

**A/N: And here is the next chapter, just as scheduled. Today we have Shinichi meeting the Nightmare Inspector and learning of Kaitou Kid for the first time.**

 **I AM LITERALLY EXCITED BECAUSE I MIGHT BE WATCHING THE MOVIE NERVE TOMORROW!**

 **Fast forward eight hours later, and no, I am not seeing it until Friday, or maybe at the time of 5:00 tonight. Mom is going out somewhere tomorrow. Yeah, this chapter is going out in the mid-morning, all right?**

 **And yes, Saguru learning of Shin and Kai being related is gonna be a running gag.**

 **It looks so good! Omg I am screaming.**

 **I loved Sword Art Online, then Nerve is going to be as good, and maybe just maybe, as good as Ready Player One will be...if that movie will ever be released!**

 **Anyway, on to the next chapter. I literally pieced together some shit myself while combating evil ants of doom in my house, so I hope you enjoy this hastily written thing coming up at 3 in the freaking morning. Yes, I am aware writers should be asleep at this hour. The creative muse does not go away until it is written.**

 **It feels like I've been forgotten by the DC fandom, but here I am again!**

 **Shoutout to the many followers and favorites, and thanks for two reviews!**

 **Chapter Three The Debut of the Nightmare Inspector-In which Saguru has it out for me, and in which Ginzo Nakamori deals with many, many idiots.**

* * *

Kaito suddenly wished he'd _never_ told Saguru about his cousin being Shinichi Kudo, because now he would not shut up about it. While he was at first shaken up about it, muttering to himself for the first couple days about how on earth a detective like Kudo could be related to Kuroba, he was soon over it and instead resigned himself to spreading major conspiracy theories, including asking the teachers if he could establish an arrest warrant on a fellow student because he happened to look like Kaitou KID.

Of course, the teachers hadn't bought it for a second, Kaito thought with a smile. The most annoying thing, however, was how Saguru kept on demanding evidence to prove that the two were related-which was something that he knew detectives loved to have-as he did have a few relatives who were detectives; and then did Kaito's mind come circulating around to a certain uncle who might just know he was KID and he blanched slightly.

Knowing him, he probably did. Yusaku-Ojisan was very sharp, frighteningly so, and as he was an author and detective, he probably knew that Kaito was KID. He made a mental note to also try and avoid Yukiko-Obasan, as she was incredibly scary when angered, moreso than his own mother.

One thing was for sure: why did detectives always have to be so smug and insistent that they were always right about something? Sure, he was a thief, sure he performed in front of a huge audience, and he entertained them, but that was his job!

Detectives like Saguru just walked around and assumed they were always right and that everyone should automatically accept their answers as valid.

Kaito exhaled. _'If Shinichi is the same way...I am doomed.'_

Oh no, wait.

Unlike Saguru, who was distinctly blinded by his own ego, and unlike Ginzo Nakamori, who was smart but tended to overlook simple things, Shinichi Kudo was the worst possible enemy the Kaitou Kid could ever face.

Yes, even worse than Akako.

Even worse than fish.

His own cousin was the one person who could potentially expose him and toss him in jail.

Shinichi Kudo's sharp mind missed nothing.

He remembered how when they were little, Shinichi had been able to track down lost items easily-and how he could read people's emotions so well that it was scary. And if Shinichi actually was a real detective now, then his skills had become much better.

Kaito wasn't sure whether he should applaud the next time he ran into his cousin or shoot him with a card gun.

Third, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to run into his cousin, because while Hakuba was arrogant and vain, Shinichi kept enough of his ego grounded, so he knew how to see everything around him.

So that meant Shinichi would surely put two and two together, see _Kaitou_ Kid-and _immediately_ link it to **Kaito-** and surely he would know that Kaito had a propensity for magic-and if he knew that the KID also liked magic, his mind would invariably point towards his own name.

One of the things that Kaito both loved and hated about his cousin was probably how stern he was towards criminals. He'd heard that Shinichi had criminals hauled off to jail. And if it was Kaitou Kid he was looking at, and not his beloved cousin, Shinichi would show no mercy.

So for that, Kaito felt himself shaking in his boots.

It was while he was eating his lunch that Saguru found an effective time to strike, or so he thought.

"So, KID, enjoying lunch, are you?" Saguru purred, sliding his lunch tray near him.

"Can't you fall into a pit and die?" Kaito yelped, for once not playing the cheerful card for all it was worth.

"Oh, you're just scared because I know things you don't."

"Such as?" Kaito asked, smirking once again.

"I know that your cousin can't be related to you! Look at this!" He pulled out a photo of his cousin and waved it in front of Kaito.

Kaito looked at the picture in front of him and then his eyes traveled back to Saguru. "Your point?"

"Your eyes are different!"

"We're cousins, not brothers."

Saguru's smile faltered. "Well, still, I'm sure he will be envious that a superior detective has gotten to KID first!"

Suddenly, a mop landed on his head.

"For the last time, Saguru-kun, stop calling Kaito Kaitou KID. He's not KID!" Aoko chided.

"Yeah, that's impossible," Several of his classmates chimed in.

He noticed Akako look at him as if to comment on how oblivious his classmates truly were, but he shrugged it off.

Akako indeed came striding up to him, a bunch of brainwashed boys behind her.

"White dove," She muttered, sitting down, "You must be very wary of the Ace of Spades. It is the card of bad luck, and might just spell your doom."

"Card of spades?" Kaito asked, "Do you mean...?"

"Yes, I mean the detective, your cousin. He will be on your tail, I can sense it."

For once, Kaito wished Akako was wrong in her predictions.

"But there is a greater danger lying in wait...black crows waiting to snatch you up and snakes lying coiled in the grass...I would advise you, Kuroba-kun, to steer clear of any...spirits for now." Akako finished.

"That was amazingly romantic," One of her male admirers said.

The rest of them all nodded.

"Spirits? Do you mean, ghosts, or...?" Kaito asked, quite curious as to exactly what the witch meant by this incredibly vague term.

"Alcohol." Was all she said before turning back to her male devotees, who walked behind her, brainwashed as usual.

"Alcohol? Spirits?" Kaito muttered, chewing his sandwich while mulling over these thoughts. Leave it to Akako to give him a riddle that even left his mind reeling.

The Ace of Spades-Ace meant one-and Shinichi was a pro detective and (presumably) a pro student, and the Ace of Spades meant bad luck, because only a detective would be bad luck for a thief.

But the other part...about black crows waiting to snatch you up? The snakes part sounded like that guy, Snake, who had it out for him.

' _Wait a second...'_ Kaito thought, ' _Does this mean Shinichi is going to come to one of my heists? No, keep calm, Kuroba, keep calm! There's no way Shinichi would go to a KID heist, he hates magic, it's not happening!'_ He assured himself.

He finished his lunch, but pushed the f-f-foul, disgusting thing that his mom had dared to pack in his lunch for him onto Aoko's plate, pretending he hadn't seen it.

"As much as I want to see him again, I do not want to be jailed."

But at the same time, it could be fun having a challenger, and Shinichi and Shinichi alone could challenge KID and come out on top. That gave him an idea.

Carefully, Kaito pulled out a pen and started writing a riddle. Once he got home, he would give this to one of his doves to send to the police, and then one specifically to Shinichi.

 _'Well, who will come out on top? Me, or you, tantei-san?'_

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

"Shinichi, what brought up your interest in Kaitou Kid?" Ran asked.

"Well, basically, Megure-keibu wants me to do a case on him." Shinichi said.

"You're gonna do a case on him? That's so cool! Let's go to one of his heists together, Shinichi!" Ran said.

"I don't like magic. And I think Kaitou Kid is stupid." Shinichi said.

"Oh, come on, Shinichi, just for me?"

Shinichi sighed.

"You'd much rather it would be some kind of Holmes convention, hm?"

The glare Shinichi shot her way told her the answer.

Ran sighed.

Shinichi could be...stupid at times, and hard-headed. She wondered what else was going on that he hadn't told her about...men and their propensity to hide things from others...it was rather annoying.

She frowned as she thought about how her father had picked yet another fight with her mother.

"Shinichi, Tousan always says the stupidest things about Kaasan."

"Ah, are they fighting again?" Shinichi asked.

"Seems like it," She said with a sigh, "What about yours?"

"Kaasan only does it when Tousan is visibly flirting with his fans." Shinichi said, looking at her in disinterest.

His mind couldn't help but drift back to what Megure-keibu had actually told him.

It was too embarrassing to tell Ran, anyway.

* * *

 _"Kaitou Kid? No way am I tailing him! Thieves aren't my field of expertise, I'm just a murder detective."_

 _"Yes," Megure said, "Normally I would pass this on to someone else, but I've been getting calls from a certain person in Ekota..."_

 _"Who is that?" Shinichi asked._

 _"That's...I don't know if you've heard of him, but it's Ginzo Nakamori."_

 _"Nakamori? That sounds familiar." Shinichi muttered._

 _"He's obsessed with KID."_

 _"Oh! You mean he's that guy who says all those crazy things about KID?" Shinichi exclaimed._

 _"The man is pretty much the self-esteemed expert on Kaitou KID."_

 _"Then why are you asking me?" Shinichi asked._

 _"Because he keeps badgering us to send someone "worthy" and capable enough of catching KID. He recently got a note from him and he's all upset about it, so I figured the best person for the job would be you, Kudo-kun. I know you're busy with school.."_

 _"Um, I suppose I can **look** at it, at least." Shinichi said._

 _"Kudo-kun, whatever you do, do not show off in any way or boast. He's very sensitive, so don't-"_

 _"Tick him off?" Shinichi chuckled._

 _"Something like that." Megure said._

* * *

"Tch, annoying adults, always foisting stuff onto kids." Shinichi grumbled later as he sat in his room. Still, the least he could do was take a look at this stupid note to try to decipher it in some way, shape, or form.

The poem was mostly nonsensical gibberish, Shinichi noticed, but there was something underneath the note itself that had him interested. Beside the little cartoon of KID, there was a little writing there that said: P.S, won't you come dance with me under the moon, Sherlock Holmes? Or should I say Heisei Holmes? I await your answer, meitantei-san."

"Whoa, how weird," Shinichi muttered, "He meant to send this to me, but _why?_ He should know I don't specialize in catching thieves. That's the part I don't understand, maybe he just wants someone as smart as himself."

A smirk blossomed on his face, not unlike that of the Kaitou Kid.

"I see, I think I've figured out mostly everything. Now I guess it's time to call a certain...someone."

Hopefully, this inspector would be willing to listen to reason.

If this guy was anything like Ran's father, he would be in for one hell of a heist.

Grimacing to himself, Shinichi cursed under his breath and pushed in the numbers on his cell phone, waiting for it to connect.

The line was busy.

"Well, it's not like he can refuse an order from Megure-keibu."

* * *

The officers from the Ekota Police Department waited in silence, watching as a man with dark hair and a neatly trimmed mustache was busy looking over the newest reports turned in to him by his underlings.

The closest one was shaking. He knew what he was in for.

"I see, so this is what you've got on KID."

"Yes, sir, we've gotten plenty on him!"

"No, you've gotten _nothing_ on him! This note is _still_ the same goddamned note it was hours ago when that stupid thief sent it to us! Not even the best experts can figure it out!"

Suddenly, the phone rang.

All of the police officers jumped, wondering who it was who was calling the Inspector.

"Yes? No, Saguru, I don't want you!" He cried before he hung up again.

Most of the officers relaxed, but they were still visibly on guard. Nakamori had quite a nasty temper, so he was known for blowing a gasket at the slightest possible thing-including Kaitou Kid. What he hated most was when people offered to help him catch KID-including a certain pesky someone who had just called-were when the people offering to do it were just kids!

Kids should be in school, not risking their lives over this stuff. Even his daughter had volunteered but he'd refused, saying it would be too dangerous for her. They shouldn't waste their youth away.

A vein mark pulsed on his head. "Goddammit, we need someone who can read KID like a book." He grumbled.

"But, Inspector, I thought you said you _didn't_ want help!" A particularly dumb police officer volunteered his opinion.

"Was I talking to you, fool-" But then the Inspector's cell phone rang again.

"Who could be calling you at this hour, Inspector?" The same mook said, choosing his words carefully.

"I don't know, I'm gonna see in a moment!" He said as he answered. "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment before a soft, uncertain voice said, "Hello, is this Nakamori Ginzou-san, the inspector of Ekoda District?"

Ginzou flinched upon hearing the voice. He sounded too young to be an officer. Who was this?

"What do you want, kid? Is this some sort of prank, if it is, I'll contact your parents-"

"Good luck with that, as they're overseas right now. Megure-keibu contacted me and said I should help you."

"No, I don't need help!"

"Settle down, Ojii-san." Shinichi said, "Megure-keibu sent the note to me that you sent him a day ago. I can probably solve this riddle."

"Who are you?" He demanded. "You've got a lot of nerve."

"I'm Kudo Shinichi, a detective."

"Kudo Shinichi? I've never heard of you before!" Ginzo said, sneering slightly.

"Wait, Inspector! I've heard of him before! He's that famous detective from Tokyo! If anyone can help us, it's him!" An officer yelled.

"So you're a detective, huh? Get a job, kid." Ginzo said sharply.

"Wait, don't you want to know the meaning behind this riddle? It'll take me another hour or so at most for me to figure out all of it. If you want to know what it means, you should trust in me." The kid sounded cool, calm and composed.

Nakamori hesitated. What should he do?

He could have another Saguru on his hands. Hell, this could even be the real KID he was talking to.

But if so, he'd throw him in jail.

"Fine, come over. KID's heist is next week and we need all the help we can get. Don't think of saying you're better than me, kid."

With that, he hung up.

Shinichi stared at his phone. "He didn't have to be so loud about it."

As he thought about the heist, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of excitement go through him.

"It's elementary what you're trying to do, Kaitou Kid-san. You're challenging me to a showdown. I won't disappoint you." He said, bowing.

Kaito was preparing his latest magic trick, when a rap at the window made him look up. A white dove flew in, dropped a note into his hands, and received a snack and a stroke on its head for its efforts.

"As expected of my cousin, I knew you'd be the first one to crack it. In fact, that note was aimed at you and you alone." Kaito said.


	4. Chapter 4 Dreams and Misgivings

_Time for the next chapter of this story! I saw Magic Kaito episode 6 yesterday, it was good!_

 _So yeah, thanks for 4 reviews! This story is a re-write, it's gonna diverge considerably from both the canon series and the original story. The pairings are Shinran, Heikazu, and KaiAoko. :d_

 _I will try to incorporate murders in here, but I am terrible at writing mysteries, so if anyone at all could help with that, it would be most appreciated!_

Chapter Four Deductions and Experiments

* * *

Some days, Ran Mouri really thought her childhood friend overdid it with his mystery obsession. This was one of those times. Even though she loved him very, very much, there were times when he just went overboard.

"Shinichi, are you doing all right?" Ran asked Shinichi, who ignored her in favor of looking at a piece of paper and who was muttering to himself under his breath. What had his attention so much that he couldn't even pay attention to his own best friend?

Was it a murder case? It must be.

Didn't he know how much she worried about him and cared about him and how her heart always jumped in her throat every time Shinichi faced some ruthless criminal? Yet he still charged into the heart of battle over and over.

Ran sometimes had bizarre dreams of Shinichi disappearing and a little boy taking his place. She would wake from those dreams in a cold sweat, convinced that Shinichi was gone, however the relief she felt when he answered reassured her heart. However, it did tell her that if he focused onl on mysteries, the time might come when they really _did_ get separated.

Ran loved him too much to ever lose him.

"Shinichi..." Ran repeated, but he didn't so much as look her way. Instead, he turned a page. He was mumbling to himself about something, his face stuck in a book. 'It's always those cases! He always cares about them more than me!'

No response.

Finally, she began to get very irritated, which resulted in her crying out, "Shinichi, what are you doing?"

He turned to face her, looking very annoyed. "What is it, Ran? I can hear you just fine, you know, baarou."

Ran frowned. "Honestly, Shinichi, do you _have_ to read and walk at the same time? It's so annoying!"

'Oh crap, that came out too harsh!' Ran screamed in her mind. This was why she was taking her friend Shinichi to see Sonoko-despite the two having a mutual dislike of each other-to help him take some time off the spotlight. His ego was, while not arrogant, just a bit overblown now.

"Barou, you know I have to look over things for a case." Shinichi lied, trying to hide the KID note, but it slipped out of his hands. 'Ah, Kuso!'

"What's this?" Ran asked, picking up the Kaitou KID note that had fallen out of his notebook. Her eyes lit up. "Aha, it's a Kaitou KID note! Were you sent one, Shinichi?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yes. This note was aimed at me, after all. I have no idea why a thief like him is so interested in inviting a detective to his dumb show. Megure-keibu practically begged me to go to the heist, so they must be desperate."

Ran's eyes filled with annoyance,"Bakanichi, KID is not a bad person. Maybe you could find out who he is. Wouldn't that be exciting?"

"Barou. Since when did you start acting like Sonoko?" Shinichi asked before eying her closely.

"I was joking, Shinichi." Ran replied promptly.

"Are you sure...?" Shinichi asked, warily. "Because if I'm not mistaken...you acted just like her now."

"You're so paranoid, Shinichi! Like I said before, I was only joking." Ran said.

"It's natural for a detective such as myself to be paranoid! After all, I'm destined to make lots of deadly enemies, Ran. Detectives aren't always well-liked." He said sharply.

"Shinichi, everyone likes you. You're a good person." Ran reassured.

"Barou. Not everyone feels that way about me. Obviously, there are people who hate me, like your otousan, who can't even get a single job due to his inefficiency and arrogant nature, or the people I arrest, or your friend Sonoko, or even criminals I don't know about. Celebrities especially have lots of enemies, assassins..." He trailed off.

Ran frowned. "Are you talking about?"

He nodded. "Yeah, when my Ojisan died, I really was in shock. The truth is, he was murdered."

Ran gasped. "That's awful."

"That's why I'm a detective-to figure out who killed him and why." Shinichi said sharply.

In that moment, Ran's disapproval at his being a tantei nerd dropped completely.

Detective or not, he was still the same Shinichi she knew, always admiring the good guys and wanting to be a hero for people.

"What is it, Ran?" He asked, staring at her blankly.

"Nothing, let's go on our way to meet Sonoko-chan."

Shinichi grumbled as a response.

 _"Did you say something, Shinichi?_ " Ran asked cheerily.

Shinichi shuddered and shook his head. "Nope."

'Oi, oi, women and their wrath.' Shinichi thought in disbelief.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shinichi's irritation only grew as...it turned out...they had somehow gotten on the _wrong_ train entirely to meet Sonoko.

"How did we wind up on the wrong train, Shinichi?" Ran cried.

However, Shinichi was not in the mood to hear it, so he walked away from her to clear his thoughts.

What he wasn't expecting was for a person to angrily run up to him from behind.

"Bakaito, how dare you not show up! I got so worried while waiting here for you! I was afraid you were hurt!"

Shinichi jumped back in time to see a girl who looked like Ran, only she had...purple eyes?

"Bakaito?" He muttered. 'This girl can't be...maybe she's Kaito's friend?'

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm not Kaito. I'm his cousin, Kudo Shinichi."

"Hm, your eyes are a different shade...and your hair's less messy." She said, looking him up and down. "Oh, all right then. Sorry, I mistook you for Kaito. He hasn't shown up."

"Kaito's here?" Shinichi said excitedly. "What's his phone number?"

"I'll give it to you," Aoko said.

"Shinichi, what are you doing?" The voice of an angry Ran cried.

"She's Kaito's friend! It's _not_ what it looks like! This is my friend, Ran Mouri."

"I'm Aoko Nakamori, nice to meet you, Ran-san. Kudo-kun here introduced himself to me. My father's a good man who's going to take down Kaitou Kid." She said happily.

So Aoko and Ran wound up chatting for a while while Shinichi threw in some polite conversation until Aoko had to get off at her stop and then they met with Sonoko.

* * *

Aoko found herself flushing, remembering her encounter with the Great Detective of the East. It was amazing how _different_ he was compared to Kaito. He was so calm and composed and serious. Yet she could definitely see how the two were related.

A part of her wondered why Kaito hadn't bothered to keep in touch with his cousin if he mattered that much to him. Where _was_ he?

"Bakoko!" A voice shouted.

She turned to see Kaito behind her.

"Where were you, Bakaito? I got lost and you didn't show up!"

"I was out getting some pranks and lost track of time." He said, "Did something happen?"

"Well, I met your cousin."

"You what?" Kaito said, looking surprised but scared at the same time.

"I gave him your number, too."

Kaito sighed. "Was he insistent? I bet he was."

'Well, looks like maybe I'll be meeting you sooner than I intended, Shinichi.'

* * *

"Kaitou Kid, huh? Maybe I should try to take him down." A smirk crawled up his face.

"Hey, Heiji, what are ya watchin'?" A brunette called, flopping down onto the couch beside her childhood friend, who flushed slightly.

"Kaitou Kid. Do you think I could catch him? Come to think of it, I could always go there...to Tokyo," He replied, the Osakan's eyes gleaming with a fire Kazuha knew shone only for mysteries.

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes, I want to be able to meet Kudou Shinichi face to face and see how good he is with my own hands." Heiji replied, looking very confident.

"I bet he'll knock you off your feet, Heiji."

"Oi, Kazuha, whose side are you on?" Heiji yelped, very offended.

'Just you wait, Kudou. I want to face off against you, one on one.'

* * *

Shinichi dialed his cousin's number and waited.

The phone rang and someone answered.

" _Hello? Kuroba residence."_

"Kaito, it's me." He spoke, feeling his heart pound in his chest.

" _Well, well, Shinichi, how long has it been? Centuries? Do you have a beard yet_?" A familiar taunting, yet gentle voice, came over the other line.

"Kaito! It's good to hear your annoying voice again. Still being a prankster?" Shinichi said, laughing despite his worries about dealing with the Nightmare Inspector.

 _"I heard you signed up to go after KID. That Inspector's crazy_." Kaito muttered.

"Yeah, he blew my eardrums out." Shinichi replied, shuddering at the memory.

 _"Hey, I heard you're a real meitantei now. You'll have to show me how good you are when I come see you. I'm a little busy now, so not now."_

"Kaito, wait," He said, "Are you going to the KID heist?"

" _Of course! I wanna see KID up close and personal_." Kaito chirped. " _See you later, itoko."_

Shinichi stared at the phone. "Why did he hang up so fast? Stupid Kaito...he's the same as ever."

He smiled to himself. At least Kaito hadn't forgotten about him.

Maybe Kaito wasn't the Kaitou KID after all. His suspicions about his identity were quietly pushed to the back of his mind.

 _Pain. Pain. He felt like he was on fire and then covered in ice. His bones were melting._

 _Then he looked like a child._

 _"Ran, I'm sorry." He muttered, his whole body on fire._

 _"Cool Guy." A familiar blond woman muttered._

Shinichi awoke in a cold sweat.

"What an odd dream." He said. "Could I have normal dreams for once?"


	5. Chapter 5 Detective and Thief Intertwine

**A/N: Welll, I got a message from an anon telling me I play Shinichi out of character. Seeing as I've been watching the show for nine years, I think I know the dude like the back of my freaking hand. Sorry, but I'll keep writing Conan fanfics, no matter what you say. In fact, your message inspired me to continue rping him on tumblr. :d**

 **Eat hater messages for breakfast, that's what I say. Anyway, just looking back over my old fanfics and I guess I'll see where the old story left off and either continue to make it like the old or else do something completely different. The murderer subplot will be eliminated and something else in its place, as it seemed bizarre and disjointed from the story. Like I said, if anyone wants to help me think of a mystery, they can, as I'm deductively challenged.**

 **Rather ironic, considering that I'm writing a story on the world's most popular mystery series. Maybe reading some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries will help me to think more in tune with the series. :d**

 **I also rp Shinichi as well, if any of you wanna follow me there, just PM me privately and I'll give you the URL. But only if you're trustworthy. Answer 1,000 Sherlock Holmes questions and we'll talk then .**

 **Update: Hater Anon, Go away. No one wants your nasty reviews here. I don't, and neither do any of my fans. I will just keep deleting your reviews every time you send them until you can be nice enough to sign in so I can block you, so kindly go away and bother someone else, thank you.**

 **I wish they could block anon reviews permanently.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five Preparations for the Heist**

Shinichi now regretted signing up to be with Inspector Nakamori.

The man was a total nutcase!

He kept calling him, day after day, demanding to know if he had any more info on the crazy thief!

And when Shinichi had been honest enough to admit that he didn't know, the man had really lost his gasket.

Shinichi hung up the phone and glared at the ground, kicking his bookshelf.

"Ow!" He yelped, holding his foot and wincing at the pain that came from it.

As he did so, a book fell from the shelf, with a small wad of paper falling out of it, containing a photo of two smiling boys and their family behind them.

"Hey, I remember this. It was of that time Kaito and I went to the beach and he was screaming about fish the whole way." He muttered with a faint smile on his face.

His cousin had been screaming some rather violent language at the fish up until the moment where a dark-haired girl had stuck the fish right in his face and started laughing.

What was her name?

Shinichi frowned, he vaguely recalled such a girl but did not remember her name, he remembered a pair of bright, blue eyes, but nothing else.

"Eh...I don't really remember her well. Whatever." He muttered, turning away in disinterest.

'That reminds me of something Kaito sent me a while ago...' He thought, turning towards an old letter and an email. The letter read, "Dear Cousin, I found out something very important that shook my whole world. Aoko no longer wears white panties, now she wears bright red ones. She also has grown much better at whacking me with the mop. If only you could see it."

Shinichi sighed upon reading his cousin's writing, he knew the other could never stop hurting the girl he loved. Would he ever be able to do that to Ran?

His blood froze.

No, he would _never_ need to leave her.

There was no need to.

So why did he get the feeling that Kaito had concealed something within this very note?

'If I search it, maybe I'll be successful at finding a clue,' Shinichi thought on his way to school as he mulled the puzzle over in his head.

There was no forgetting the letter. Kaito had sent it approximately five months ago-and Kaitou KID-at that point, Shinichi stopped in the center of the road, his heart beating faster and faster in his chest.

Kaito just so happens to message him out of the blue and then this Kaitou KID shows up? The two of them were linked, somehow. Whether it was Kaito being forced to carry out Kaitou Kid's heists or even someone else working with him to make him look bad, Kaito was involved in this business, somehow.

There was no mistake. But he just couldn't be KID. No way.

Shinichi frowned, maybe he was taking this too far. He couldn't possibly be serious. He hadn't seen his cousin for months, even years. Maybe Kaito wasn't involved in any of this Kaitou KID business.

Either way, he would need to message his cousin again for more info.

* * *

As Shinichi continued on down the sidewalk, he suddenly collided with someone. Someone much tinier than he was.

His eyes widened upon finding himself staring into a pair of wide, blue eyes and saw a brown-haired girl clinging onto his leg.

"Oniisan, our ball rolled away!"

'Oi, oi, kids and a lost ball? You've gotta be kidding me, that's so cliche.' Shinichi thought in his head, looking the girl over and noticing the other two boys approaching her.

"Ayumi-chan, are you all right?" The fatter one asked, panting to keep up with the thinner one, who was evidently in the lead first.

"Genta, we lost the ball." The boy with freckles complained.

The dark-haired boy beside him paled. "Crap, Sensei gave us that ball to use! We're gonna be in big trouble!"

"Oi, are you guys all right?" Shinichi asked them.

The two boys took one look at him and then paled.

"I-I-It's..." The fat one said.

"T-That detective guy!" The freckled boy uttered.

"You're Kudo Shinichi!" The little girl squealed.

Shinichi nodded mutely, watching the three children, as they rambled on and on about how much they admired him. 'Oi, oi, when did I attract a fanclub?'

Still, he could afford to waste a few minutes of class. "Show me what it looks like and I'll help you look for it."

"Thanks, Mister! We'll repay you for this!" The girl, named Yoshida Ayumi, chirped as the three made their way back towards their elementary school.

Shinichi glanced at his cell phone. Crap, he was late.

* * *

Shinichi let out a sigh as he walked. At this rate, Ran was going to kill him. She would come charging down the street any second now, scream his name, and then hit him with something, preferably her fists, for making her wait.

He heard someone charging down the street, at him, his own name screamed, before a figure came charging at him-and promptly hit a wall before deflating.

Shinichi had a second to react and he quickly maneuvered out of the way of the person approaching him.

"Nice try, but you can't catch the great meitantei off guard so easily!" Shinichi said.

"Ah, so that's your line now, is it?" The intruder said.

Shinichi gasped upon hearing that voice and catching sight of a pair of violet eyes staring at him.

"K-Kaito? Is it really _you_?" He stammered. "I thought you were a criminal!"

Upon seeing something flash in Kaito's eyes for a moment, Shinichi blinked before realizing that Kaito had just embraced him in a hug.

"K-Kaito, you are squishing me and I demand you release me."

"Calm down, Shinichi, it's been so long since I got to see you, my dear itoko. Just let me treasure this moment." When Kaito let go, Shinichi could see by how he was smiling that he had been doing something that Kaito would never admit to doing unless he was found out.

"So that's a test dummy for your magic tricks?" Shinichi asked, glancing at the deflated thing on the ground before them.

"Yep! It's pretty convincing, isn't it? I've worked to refine Otousan's magic and become better at it. I heard my cousin has become the most desired man in the world, according to all the pretty young ladies who send him fan mail!" Kaito purred as they walked.

"That's not true, you baarou! Anyhow, I already have someone."

"It's Ranny, isn't it? Shall I tell her about that cute nickname you used to use for her when no one was around?"

"Shut up, she doesn't need to know that!" Shinichi protested.

"Shinichi, you're late!" Ran yelped, but then froze in place. Why were there two Shinichis?

"Ran..."

"Ran." Both of them said in the same exact voice.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke occurred and the second Shinichi was in front of Ran, bowing low with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "For you, Madam."

"S-Shinichi?" She mumbled weakly, looking over at the other, who looked shocked and murderous at such an attempt.

"K-Kaito, don't do that!"

"K-Kaito-kun!?" Ran stammered, before she stomped the ground. "Don't just pretend to be Shinichi like that and sneak up on me!"

"Yes, Bako-" He said, but he'd barely finished his sentence before a fist hit the wall next to him, causing Kaito to jump.

"Don't you call me a baka, Kaito-kun! Even you will get the taste of my karate. Come on, Shinichi, we're going. I can't believe he did that."

"Ran-chan!" Kaito called, "You had on blue panties. Very nice~."

Ran's face reddened, she turned around, and then...WHAM.

* * *

Kaito's face was covered with a giant slap mark for most of his first day at Teitan High School, leading many kids to wonder what was up with the odd twin of Kudo Shinichi.

"You totally deserved that one." Shinichi said with a chuckle.

"Oi, I'm a man, it's in my rights to do so." Kaito muttered, eating his food.

"So, Kudo, heard your cousin looked at Ran-chan's skirt before you could, huh?" Sonoko said.

"That's not how it happened." Shinichi grumbled.

"Ah, are we in denial?" Sonoko teased. "You know, to be honest, I don't know what Ran-chan sees in you. You're rude, you're arrogant, you're full of yourself."

Kaito put down his food and stared at her. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, as serious as I can be. I totally respect my friend and all-"

BOOM.

A puff of smoke occurred and then suddenly Sonoko's hair was now a shade of bright blue, leading her to scream bloody murder.

"Thanks, man," Shinichi muttered.

"You'll need to tame the demoness, though," Kaito muttered, upon seeing an angry Ran come back...holding...a piece of sushi.

"Eat it." She ordered.

Kaito paled significantly.

"Fine, then, I have _something else_ you can do for me tonight."

* * *

"WHAT? NEVER! NO WAY! I'M NOT STICKING MY HAND DOWN THERE!"

"Kaito-kun, relax. It'll only hurt for a little bit and you don't have to do very much."

"BUT WHAT IF...WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG AND I _DIE?"_

"Relax, just hold still and it'll be over as soon as possible. You can stop screaming so much." Shinichi said in exasperation.

"I AM NOT CLEANING THIS DISGUSTING F-F-FISH TANK!" Kaito yelped, backing away from the tank filled with Sonoko's many terrifying aquatic creatures.

"Sonoko-chan happens to need this tank to be cleaned. Shinichi will help clean it and you, Kaito-kun, are in charge of putting the fish out of the water and into this bucket where they will stay until it's over."

Kaito paled. "SOMEONE HELP ME! SHINICHI, PLEASE!"

"Kaito, they're only goldfish." Shinichi muttered in boredom.

Kaito timidly put the bag in the water and a goldfish swam near it. Unfortunately for him, there happened to be a Beta fish in the water as well and the second it saw his hand, it dove for it.

"GYAAAHH! F-F-FILTHY, FOUL, DISGUSTING CREATURE! G-GET OFF MY HAND!"

Seconds later, cards were suddenly aimed at the innocuous fish from every direction as Shinichi pulled his cousin back from the fish tank, as the Beta Fish clung to his hand, teeth sinking into his pinky finger.

"Relax, Kaito, it's all right," Shinichi said, lifting the fish off his hands and then putting it into the bucket while his cousin looked up at him with wide, shaky eyes, "Only five more minutes of torture."

"NOO!"

So in the end, the scary fish tank was cleaned, but not without Kaito cursing about how he'd wasted a good deck of cards on that stupid fish.

"So, Kaito, why did you come here?" Shinichi asked.

"I came for the Kaitou KID heist, of course. I came to see you take part in it."

He was partially telling the truth. To be honest, someone had contacted him and asked him to go.

* * *

The girl kicked her legs back on her bed.

"Ah, that was a good dinner and now it's time for a nap. But first, I wonder if Kai-kun called Shin-kun yet?" Masumi Sera mumbled, recalling the two cheerful little boys she'd met as kids.

"I figured they should get to meet each other again. Or will Kai-kun wind up stealing his heart away?" She muttered. "This should be very interesting."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, first off, I apologize for taking nine months to update, but I thought of a hilarious scenario to begin with. Shinichi being detained under suspicion of being Kaitou Kid would be fucking hilarious. We all know it would be, don't deny it, lol.**

 **But first, I need to open it up with hilarious Kaito shenanigans because where else would he be causing chaos but school like Shinichi is used to? So here we go!**

 **Chapter Six I'm not Kaitou Kid!**

* * *

It was an ordinary day in Teitan High School-although, calling it an ordinary day would be a huge, huge exaggeration. Thanks to a certain high school detective, Teitan's reputation now was nothing close to ordinary, more like extraordinary, thanks to all the female populace constantly following behind said high school detective, being distracted from their work, and regularly asking to skip class so they could go watch Kudo Shinichi on his cases, (yes, the teachers got this asked daily, and turned them down each and every time.) and finally, the arrival of a certain other unknown element had drawn more attention to them than they would like.

It was a fact, the teachers knew, that Kudo was anything but ordinary. All of his former teachers knew the kid was smart and a freaking genius. He was smarter than many adults in the school, for god's sake. For some, just having his presence in the classroom was aggravating enough, as sometimes he'd sleep or act as though he knew everything.

Despite this, he still had the respect of a good portion of his classmates, most of them female, thanks in no part to his good looks and his obliviousness to the whole thing.

However, this, thought Kudo Shinichi's homeroom teacher as she turned the lights on that morning, was the point where she called it quits. The sight that met her eyes angered her beyond belief. Confetti had been set up everywhere, balloons, pinatas and the like covered the walls. And there was a tack on the chair. She wasn't even going to sit there.

This could only be the work of that new student. No one else had reported mysterious pranks happening until Kuroba Kaito had transferred here. It could only be his handiwork and no one else.

The students staggered into the classroom like usual that morning, most of them texting on their phones despite being told not to, Sonoko Suzuki was yammering with her best friend Ran, Kudo Shinichi himself coming in behind the others, arguing with a dark-haired boy over mystery novels versus magic-such was the way of a teacher's life.

The students all fell silent upon seeing the mess of a room and the numerous drawings done on the chalkboard, all very colorful, vivid and somewhat inappropriate for the school atmosphere. The students started snickering to themselves, upon seeing the teacher's newly dyed hair, before she silenced them all with a reproachful look.

"Kuroba Kaito, explain this mess!" She snapped.

"I think it's called art, madam!" He said, flashing her a sly smile.

"Art or not, it's still vandalism of a classroom! Why did you find it okay to vandalize my classroom?"

"It looked so dull without these colors to it." Kaito said, jumping from his seat to the window, causing everyone except for Shinichi to gasp.

"How did he do that?"

"Magic, my dear teacher." Then he was suddenly in front of her, kissing her hand, before...he popped. The dummy deflated and Kaito was nowhere to be seen, but confetti rained down everywhere and the students were suddenly attempting to catch it.

"What's even happening?" Ran moaned, "I came here to learn. Kaito-kun's ruining it."

"He is, in a way, but I'm glad he's having his fun." Shinichi snickered.

"HE'S BREAKING THE RULES!" Ran yelled.

"Ran Mouri, no yelling!"

"Sorry, sensei." Ran flinched and lowered her head.

"Besides, it's my fault chaos appeared in the classroom today, so I will go accept responsibility for my sins." Kaito said, appearing beside Shinichi.

"How do you do that?" Ran asked.

"Magicccc~," Was all Kaito said in response, as he suddenly chirped, "Ran-chan's got pinkkkk on today! Pink underwear-"

Ran immediately karate chopped him into the wall. "Pervert. How many times have I told you, Kaito-kun, to not be a pervert?"

"You're sounding more and more like Bakoko every day." He said.

"Kaito, you made Ran sit away from us." Shinichi complained.

"Let her eat alone. She's jealous of our beautiful relationship."

"Baarou, the hell are you going on about? We're just cousins." Shinichi remarked, shooting him a strange look. That magic had reminded him of something he'd seen before.

"What's the meitantei going to do about the Kaitou Kid?" Kaito asked, "Gonna catch him?"

"It's not my main job, but thanks to a certain inspector, I have to." Shinichi said, nearly choking on his food.

"He does yell very loudly." Kaito said off-handedly.

"How would you know that?" Shinichi snapped.

Kaito winced. "Nothing."

'I need to quit letting my guard down around him. I know he's my cousin and all, but even so, I still need to keep the poker face up.'

Even so, why was he slipping up around his cousin?

"Hey, Kaito, are you sure you're not associated with KID in any way?" Shinichi's comment was obviously a joke, but it still rattled Kaito.

"Of course not, dear cousin, why would I ever be associated with him?"

He couldn't let Shinichi fall into his darkness. Not yet.

It wasn't time for him to know that side of him.

Let him just be innocent for a while longer.

Shinichi didn't really have time to ponder on Kaito's odd response, as then he was called to another murder, courtesy of Megure-keibu.

"He didn't even finish his dish, I'll finish it for him-"

Kaito froze. There was a piece of pink salmon, with wide, open eyes, staring right up at him.

No wonder Shinichi hadn't wanted to eat lunch.

Kaito immediately took the monstrosity and dumped it into the trash where it belonged, before going green in the face.

"Can I skip class?" He asked a teacher.

The answer was no.

"Goddammit, Shinichi, you and your murder mystery tendencies. Next time, take me with you." He muttered to himself.

What he didn't know is that this murder case would throw Shinichi onto the path that Kaito was going down-and eliminate whatever kept their paths from crossing before.

* * *

"This is bad, Megure-keibu." Shinichi whispered.

Yet another dead body found, chopped to pieces, probably with a butcher knife of some sort or machete.

The sight was very grotesque.

"Third one we've found. I think we have a serial killer on our hands." Megure said to Shinichi, who nodded grimly.

Serial killers were the absolute worst dregs of humanity. This much he knew.

"Run, just run, don't look back!" A girl hissed to her friend as they were in the alley, running from a crazy man who'd just started chasing them.

"It's too late, he found us!" She shouted.

"Maybe if you two hadn't been so stupid as to talk to yourselves, I wouldn't be here, hm?" The man laughed, licking his lips hungrily as he stalked toward the two frightened girls.

"Let us live! We won't tell anyone! Please!"

"I'm sorry, but you're just too cute for me to let that happen!"

However, one of the girls did escape, after a nearby policeman intervened and saw her bleeding out. Her friend, however, died in the hospital from stab wounds.

"I just know...this is the same man who killed all of those other people..." She sobbed.


	7. Chapter 7 Suspicions

_A/N:I'm just randomly updating this again, so it might have nothing to do with what was happening in the plot, again it's been a year and I apologize. My DC muses died for a while, but I hope they're sticking around this time. I plan on continuing this stuff._

 _That nasty carpal tunnel is still here, though to a lesser extent. It's just chronic pain and now my left thumb is sore. I can still type, though I don't do long-ass chapters anymore unless I can handle it. Anyhow, it's late here, so I'm gonna give you just a short chapter for now, for being so patient and waiting for so long. I swear I'm continuing this fic as much as I can. It's just hard when your arms are aching a lot._

 _Also Improbable Truth and the DC/CG fic'll be updated soon and the Black Org Shin fic at some point in time._

 _Chapter Seven Childhood Promises_

 _"Hey, Kaito...we'll always be friends, won't we?" A little Shinichi asked, looking at his cousin, who was playing with his magic tricks like usual. His cousin was so cool when he played with magic, he always wanted to do it, but somehow he just wasn't good enough at it._

 _"Hm? Of course we'll always be friends, we're cousins, baka Shin!" He teased, playing with the other's hair and putting away his magic cards. He knew his cousin was sometimes jealous of his natural talent with magic, but he was envious of his cousin's logic at mystery novels. The kid could potentially become a detective someday._

 _"Oh, I just thought...that maybe you might find me boring someday if I decide to become a detective. You don't like detectives, right?" He said, looking at him with a dopey expression on his face._

 _"Of course I don't, but if it's you, that's different. You're my cousin, I'd never stop liking you." He teased._

 _"And I'd never stop going to your magic shows!" He exclaimed, and the two shared a laugh._

 _Later on, Kaito discovered his cousin was now a detective (much like he'd predicted he would be) and sighed over the irony. They were fated to be rivals, after all..._

* * *

"What're ya looking at, Shin-chan?" Kaito chirped, suddenly appearing out of nowhere behind Shinichi.

"Kaitou Kid's latest riddle, I still can't figure it out, it makes no sense!" He complained, "How does this guy come up with all of this?"

Ignoring the jab at his alter ego, Kaito continued. "Maybe it doesn't make any sense. Maybe it's just meant to throw people off of him."

"You talk about the guy like you know him, Kaito." Shinichi mumbled, gazing from the riddle to Kaito in slight suspicion. "Your names are even similar."

 _Oh shit, Kaito. Change the subject. Change the subject. Otherwise, you're gonna be toast, you're gonna be history._

 _"_ Of course we're not the same person. I just so happen to read a lot on him, that's all!" He chirped, causing his cousin to let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Oh, that's good, I was fearing I'd have to put my own cousin behind bars, but I guess since you're not KID, we're on good terms again." He smirked, causing Kaito to shudder.

 _'He suspects...he does suspect me! How do I throw him off?'_

Fortunately, Shinichi's concentration was thrown off thanks to the arrival of a certain brunette girl and her friend, Sonoko Suzuki.

"Shinichi, good morning! Good morning, Kaito-kun!" She said, flushing a little.

Sonoko said nothing but continued staring at him. "He looks like Kaitou KID." She said matter-of-factly.

Kaito said nothing, continuing to smile.

What was it with people today? Nuts.

Perhaps he'd better disguise himself better.

"Kaito-kun being KID is hilariously dumb. He'd know better than to be a thief, especially since his cousin is a detective." Ran said, laughing at the very idea, which amused Kaito.

"Yeah, exactly! I keep trying to tell people that, but they just don't listen! Sometimes, people have doppelgangers who just so happen to look like them, but it means nothing!" He pressed.

"If you say so." Sonoko muttered sadly. "I guess I'll never get to know what KID looks like under the mask."

"He's probably some older guy." Ran said.

Kaito winced at that implication. He was still young, dammit!

"I doubt that. He's probably fairly young." Shinichi's voice caught his attention yet again. He was in that odd, dreamy state of his when he was thinking about some case. It was very hard to snap him out of this state when he got into it, he thought in exasperation.

"Why do you say that, Shinichi?" Ran asked, now looking at him in interest.

"Because he sounds young. If he were old, he'd sound old and he doesn't. He's probably, at my best estimate...probably in his 20s or even younger. Maybe even our age, though that's unlikely." Shinichi deduced.

Sweat was dripping down Kaito's back. That was really, really close to the truth, and he didn't like where this conversation was going.

"So, cousin, how's it going on that murder case you're working on?" He said, changing the subject.

"No leads yet, though there are people of interest." Shinichi said, sighing. "This killer's really good. But I swear I'll catch him."

"I'm sure you will." Kaito said, and he meant every word of it. Serial killers pissed Kaito off. He was a thief, not someone who took lives and seeing someone like that man taking lives while he was in this city ticked him off. He'd be sure to target this guy, too, to take him on and maybe expose him to the police, too. No one hurt innocents while he was in town.

* * *

At any rate, he was glad that the subject had changed from KID's possible identity, though he noticed how Shinichi kept throwing him odd, curious glances over the course of the next couple hours in class, when he wasn't taking notes or nearly falling asleep. His cousin still had that same habit of sleeping, he thought in amusement, before folding up the last line, and then throwing a paper airplane at his cousin, which hit him on the head, waking him up.

"What hit me?" He muttered.

"Kuroba-san, what have I told you about goofing off in class?" The teacher said, radiating a look of utter fury, though she was smiling. It was a terrifying sight and he was reminded distinctly of Koizumi.

"Not to do it..." He said, "But Sensei, he was the perfect target."

The teacher did not share the sentiment, and after school, Kaito was stuck cleaning up the classroom as a punishment, while his cousin watched, smirking.

"You could help me." He whined, "Weren't you punished, too?"

"Oh yeah, I'll help." He said, "It's just rude to have a paper airplane thrown at my head, that's all."

"Fine, I'm sorry." He said petulantly. "I just wanted you to be awake in my presence. It's rude of an audience to fall asleep while the magician is performing."

"It's not a performance, though, it's a class." Shinichi said, being too logical like usual.

"I don't mean that, I mean that I can't help but be awed by you, Shinichi." He said.

"You're being creepy, baarou." He complained.

"Am I?" Kaito said.

"I could always ask Okaasan if she visits to bring some fish with her." Shinichi muttered, grinning wickedly.

"You're cruel, truly evil Shinichi." He whined, shaking.

"Was Sonoko's punishment not enough?" Shinichi said, smirking.

"Stop grinning at me like that." Kaito whined.

"I will if you stop being afraid of fish." He said.

"Hey, they're terrifying! Their slimy skin, their terrifying, lifeless eyes...those creepy, open mouths..." Kaito shuddered.

"They taste delicious, though." Shinichi deadpanned, finishing up the cleaning on his side of the room.

Kaito sighed before finishing and helping his cousin put away the cleaning supplies before they would go report to the teacher about their progress, "Not breaking the rules is boring, how do you do it, Shinichi?"

"Oh, I did use one of your tricks before to have a chemical cover a whole classroom in smoke so I could go investigate a case once when I was in junior high." He said, putting his arms behind his head as usual and yawning.

"Really~, do tell, is little Shin-chan becoming a magician like me?" Kaito said, shooting confetti at him.

"No, it was just that one time. It's not like I like magic or anything."

But Shinichi was a bad liar.

If he didn't like magic, why was he interested in going to the heist?

It was then that Kaito realized why he wanted to: because he wanted to be the one to put KID behind bars. To Shinichi, KID was nothing more than a public nuisance, the same as the criminals he saw arrested every single day. What would happen when he did find out who he was? Would he never share a laugh with him again? Would he never talk to him or look at him again?

Shinichi could be very black and white in his thinking, after all...and if he knew, he could be broken by that knowledge.

"Kaito? Hey, Kaito, you've been spacing out! What's going on?" Shinichi asked, as they were walking home.

"Oh...nothing much." Kaito said, "Just thinking about a new magic trick."

But he still couldn't stop himself from shivering at the idea of his cousin sternly sentencing him to jail time.

' _That won't happen...he'd never see me that way.'_

Nevertheless, the worries persisted to trouble him most of the day.

Undoubtedly his cousin had noticed, as he'd kept asking him repeatedly if he was okay.

Kaito kept brushing him off. He had to maintain his poker face, after all...but he did feel guilty about lying to the one person he felt closer to than anyone else.

"It's all right...he won't find out who he is. I won't give away any more hints about KID." He mumbled.

* * *

"It's just too weird." He muttered to himself.

It was just too weird. KID shows up at the same time as Kaito randomly returned to town to visit him for the first time in seven years, Kaito acted all enthusiastic about KID, their names were too similar, and even their interest in magic was the same.

Shinichi sighed. "I'm giving this way too much thought. I don't think he could be KID."

' _But, if he was._..' His brain began, ' _Would you arrest him?'_

Shinichi shook his head. ' _No. I would never do that_.'

He resolved to keep Kaito in mind as a potential suspect-he was just acting too jumpy and paranoid for it to be normal.

Besides, KID was as theatrical as Kaito was, if reports of what he'd heard were correct, but he just didn't want to believe his cousin could be a law-breaking criminal.

He turned away from the window and turned back to the riddle he'd thrown aside. "Won't you tell me your secrets, thief-san?" He asked.

Of course, the paper didn't answer him.

* * *

 _But that did not ease his troubled mind, rather it permeated his dreams, even. He dreamed of hunting KID down and unmasking him, only to show a mirror looking back at him, someone identical to him, smiling widely._

 _"Didn't you want to see who I was? Now you know, Shinichi." It taunted, wearing Kaito's face. But it wasn't him, it couldn't be._

 _"You're not Kaito. You can't be." Shinichi replied._

 _"Disguises are meant to stay on, detective. You have a few skeletons in your closet, right? Maybe keep that in mind before unmasking KID." The thief laughed before exploding into a pack of cards._

 _Shinichi picked up a card and stared at it, it was the Ace of Spades. His card._

 _"What does this mean?" He asked. But then the card fell out of his hand and he woke up._

"That was strange." He muttered, "Card dreams? Kaito really is influencing me too much. I miss my Sherlock Holmes dreams."


End file.
